Sephora Play! Monthly Beauty Subscription Now Available

Sephora Play!, which is a monthly subscription box ($10 a month, no commitment required), just opened up to more subscribers in more regions. Have you tried it before? I signed up, but I’m not really a beauty box person… I figured I’d at least try one month.

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More, I think. Product costs might be a few dollars more because of the exchange rate right now and because of a different tarriff/duty rate for goods made outside north america, but also shipping is waaaayyyy more. Canada Post is much more expensive vs USPS, so I don’t see them being able to do it for 15$. To send a box Toronto to Vancouver about half the size of a beauty box cost me $12! I really hope they manage to do one up here. We’re probably more loyal to Sephora than in the US because we have fewer options for luxury beauty. The Bay, SDM, Holts. That’s it. And only recently Saks and Nordstrom in a few cities. I hope they recognise that.

What’s really irksome is that even when the Canadian dollar was considerably stronger than the US one, we were STILL paying more. And I don’t buy all the “shipping costs” palaver they try to sell us….I was using an eyeshadow yesterday (can’t recall if it was UD or MAC) and guess what….”made in CANADA”.

Totally agree!! Any time I went to the US I’d stock up on cosmetics. When we were at par/ stronger cosmetics were around 15-20% more (for ex, at the time Naked palette was 60 CAD vs 50 USD)!! Bite is also made in Canada and more expensive here.

I’m not much of a beauty box person, either. I don’t really like getting random samples, because I’m someone who lusts after specific things. But I’m very familiar with Sephora’s products so this might be worth a try. (as opposed to when I tried Ipsy and got some nice things but mostly stuff I’d never heard of).

I just signed up. I have heard mixed reviews. Some people say its just past point perks and deluxe samples. Others say their first 1/2 months were like that but since then they have been getting good stuff. I also have ipsy so I wanted to try this out for a month or two and figured I would cancel if it wasnt good.

I’ve been on the waitlist since the beginning. I was thrilled when I got the email this morning that I had a spot. I love beauty boxes. I’ve tried ipsy, Birchbox, boxycharm, glossybox, New Beauty, etc. I currently subscribe to Birchbox and Glossybox (and now Sephora). I’ll probably cancel Glossybox since I’ve finally been able to get Sephora!

I live in the middle of nowhere in southern WV. The closest Sephora is about two hours away. I don’t think the people who have been able to sign up are necessarily from specific areas. I’m not sure if there’s a rhyme or reason to any of it. All I know is I’ve been on the waitlist for about six months and was finally able to sign up today.

Michele, you are probably closer to four hours away! I’m very familiar with the Eastern Panhandle! I visit often and have lived in Jefferson and Berkeley counties approximately six non-consecutive years between attending college @SU and working. I just moved back to Southern WV (again) less than a year ago. Were you able to get a Sephora box?

I’m in the Pittsburgh region and I was able to sign up immediately too! I’ve been on the wait list for awhile and didn’t get the email, but a kind friend tipped me off. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to get in (Rhode Island). Maybe it’s a WV-PA-OH expansion?

I signed up a few weeks ago, they finally opened up Chicago as a market. I saw the sneak preview for April and it includes Sunday Riley Good Genes and a Derek Lam perfume! It also has, regrettably, the pink NARS lip pencil from last year’s birthday gift. :/ IMO, the Good Genes is worth the $10 price tag! Plus you get points and every month is towards your VIB/Rouge status!

I signed up the beginning of this month and am awaiting the box 🙂 I don’t do beauty boxes anymore because my Birchbox’s used to just pile up, but I became curious about the Sephora one., because it’s Sephora.

I hate Sephora with a vengeance, but I signed up. I allow myself to be full of paradoxes, lol! Oh and by the way I was supposed to be on the waiting list but I never got an email warning me that it was now available. Just another Sephora fail I guess. From the reviews I’ve seen of the pre-launch boxes, it’s simply the best subscription beauty box out there. And the only one that could satisfy me! I tried Ipsy before but I received way too many crappy brands I had never heard of. The fact that this box only contains brands that are sold at Sephora makes the difference imo. Hopefully the quality won’t go down as they dramatically expand their subscriber base. Anybody knows if the box is delivered through USPS or another courier service?

I just got my tracking today for the and it says it has been rec’d by “UPS Mail Innovations” It has a UPS logo, but the tracking number isn’t the normal 1Z-sequence and the timing seems long to me for a Chicago area delivery – not due until next Thursday. I wonder if it’s something like FedEx Smart Post (which I hate)?

Yes UPS Mail Innovation is just like Fedex SmartPost, where UPS takes care of your package until it reaches the city you live in and then transfers it to USPS for final delivery. I actually hope for a USPS delivery, it’s easier to put your mail on hold when you know you’ll be away. Plus the UPS/Fedex people always dump my packages in random places in my yard, while the mailman leaves it in the mailbox, or in front of the door if it doesn’t fit.

Your delivery men sound terrible, haha! I dislike SmartPost because it slows the process by a couple of days, and once it gets handed off to USPS the tracking disappears- but that is definitely a fair point about mail hold.

I’ve had it since Box 1 and I’m not typically a beauty box person (tried both Ipsy and Birchbox). I liked it mainly for the reason that I’m familiar with Sephora products (my main source of beauty products, followed by Ulta) and the selections are controlled to include only brands that Sephora carries. So often, I will get at least one travel-sized item of something I already know I like OR try something that I’ve been meaning to try at Sephora for awhile–as long as there’s at least one in every box, I’m happy.

This is the first I’ve heard about this. I usually read all the emails Sephora sends-so much for early access for VIBROUGE. If it’s just deluxe samples-not worth $10 to me. And, you have to wait for an invitation now!

Yeah, S is great for notifications by email. Never heard of this except through this blog. No mail, no email, nothing on the online store. IDGAS, but really. As people say all the time, what IS the point in being rouge?

KJH I’m Rouge too (in fact just hit renewal for 2016). I had the same problem with not getting the Sephora emails. I called them and they deleted and then re-entered my email address and that seems to have fixed the problem. Maybe you can call and see if they can refresh your email for you.

I got one email about it forever ago, but when I went to sign up it said Chicagoland wasn’t available yet. I THOUGHT I signed up for a waitlist but I never got another email about it. I’ve been a VIB for 7 years and it’s disappointing I was never notified the sign-up was open here.

I did sign up for the waitlist on this one and am excited for it. I tried Birchbox and Glossybox in the past and ended up cancelling both, mostly because they featured a lot of brands that I was just not interested in. I have hopes for this one!

This has me curious to see whether it’s actually worth it! I already get Ipsy, but half if the products are from some completely unfamiliar companies. So that has me looking at it a bit askew. I may try Sephora’s too.

I am on my second month and I like it. I am not a beauty box person but I decided to try it for a few reasons:

1. we know most of the items will be deluxe sample sizes so instead of spending 100 pts which is really $100 on one sample size item, I can spend $10.76 (tax) on 6 little deluxe items with the chance to try brands I’ve been seeking.

2. I really love mini lipsticks so I can rack up on those and sample perfume as they are great for trying new scents since I have allergy problems with perfume.

3. I like that for one year I know I have $120 covered and I usually end up spending $1000 a year not necessarily to keep my rouge status but the fact that it’s included doesn’t hurt.

I am sure there will be some hit and miss months like this month I don’t particularly care for any item but I haven’t used them to determine anything factual. I also like that it’s not a commitment. I can stop next month and start again when the mood strikes. I think it’s great for someone who travels a lot and loves travel sized items, great for trying out new brands and fun to get a makeup box from my favorite makeup store.

Great points Mo! I’m really starting to love minis since I never finish full size products! Like you, I don’t “need” the points but it’s nice to get them. It’s also nice to know that with the Play subscription you also get an extra 50 points on any purchase that month in-store. I really don’t go to the store but I might be inclined to do so every now and again for the extra points. I have this delusion that one day I’ll be one of the lucky ones to get one of the trips they offer once a year! 😉

I was on a deadline at work today and still dropped everything to sign up – mainly because of the Sunday Riley deluxe sample. I’m a total beauty box junkie, getting Allure (SO GOOD), Ipsy (meh), Glossybox (usually great), Julep (pretty good), and now Sephora. I will say this about my subscriptions, never again will I need to buy primer or black eyeliner…..

Ohio was one of the start up locations. So I signed up immediately. I love it! I love the booklet with the tips most I think. I wasn’t a subscription box girl before either. But, since, I love it so much I recently subscribed to Ipsy. I really love that too! I love it because you get to try brands that I otherwise probably wouldn’t.

Oh! I didn’t realize Ohio was one of the first! I was wondering why everyone kept talking about Signup difficulties. I got a bunch of emails about it and signed up from the get go. They said in the first emails thar it was kinda a trial phase, but I didn’t realize they limited the locations. Now I understand! ?

I signed up to check it out, as it’s on the cheaper end of subscription boxes, but unlike an equivalent price subscription like Ipsy which gives me tiny samples of brands I’d never heard of or drugstore brands, the Play box benefits from having pretty much the whole range of Sephora-sold brands, so I will hopefully get stuff I recognize or wouldn’t mind trying out, instead of some random crappy eyeshadow from some low-end brand.

From what I’ve heard from people who have gotten it, you are basically paying for the deluxe samples and rewards that you get from Sephora online. Like they are just throwing their extra samples in boxes and selling them to people. Could be different though, I haven’t actually seen one before.

So I love the Play box… but due to a weird situation (before it was opened to everyone, I was invited at a different email address than my Sephora account is attached to, so I had to open a new account, but now I can get it on my regular account) I was trying to cancel my Play subscription on my extraneous account. The cancellation process is OBNOXIOUS. First off, you can’t do it online – you have to call. Even on a Friday afternoon, the wait was around 10 minutes to talk to a person. Then, the person on the phone processed my cancellation as a return (my credit card got credited the price of a box), so I don’t know if that means I’ll still get this month’s box or not. (It’s apparently already been shipped, so I hope I will.) I don’t know why they had to make it so hard!

That being said, if it weren’t for the weird situation with the accounts, I may never have wanted to cancel!

I’ve only had it for a month and I like it so far. Next month is looking pretty awesome despite the fact that it has the pink NARS lip pencil that was last years bday gift. If it was the red cruella, I’d be a bit more forgiving! Still worth the ten bucks imo.

I had it for several months and I just cancelled it. The few boxes were so-so, then they started to get better but I still never used enough of the products to really make it worth it. I’m picky about ingredients so I don’t think subscriptions boxes work for me period. It’s a great box if you’re willing to try anything and everything! I was only trying like 1 item per box and giving the rest away to my friend. So, it felt like a waste when I know someone on the waitlist would use all the products and love it.

I’ve been on the waiting list since this first started and just got the email invite. I don’t normally do subscription boxes because of what I’ve seen so far, nothing interested me. Sephora is my main store for beauty purchases so I am so excited to get this!

If anybody lives or knows of someone in the Oklahoma City area, they can now sign up because I’m in OKC and it looks like, hopefully, they opened up the Oklahoma market.

In January, Sephora randomly sent an email that offered me the chance to subscribe, and I decided to. I’ve gotten 3 boxes so far, with my fourth on the way. It’s the first subscription box I’ve tried, and for $10 a month, I thought it was reasonable.

It’s almost like receiving a gift with purchase filled with samples when you purchase a certain price point, with some things you may actually use, and others not so much. I’ve liked most of the stuff I’ve gotten, and the things I haven’t, I’ve given to family members or friends who will use them. Overall I would say it’s not great, but I do enjoy getting it so far and don’t really have a desire to cancel at this point.

Finally remembered to follow your link and follow you across social media! (I’m @Binxcat4ever). anyway, the Play FAQ says that after you complete your profile, they try to tailor the samples to your interests. Do you find that to be true in the boxes you’ve received?

Michelle, so far I’ve only been given what they have shown on the videos and website but it has been in a trial phase. I don’t see how they can do the “play book”, play pass and videos without sticking to the same products for everyone. I mean maybe they might send a different color of a color product one day. Though I highly doubt that too.

I’ve been on the waiting list since the very beginning and just got the invitation. I’m in Michigan. I’m looking forward to the box. The only other subscription I’ve tried is Ipsy. The first bag was so-so, but it has gotten better. I’ll probably cancel that one. I do have to say the makeup bags are quite cute though.

I’ve received the box since it started, as I live in Cincinnati, which was one of the first test markets, and I love it! I thinks it’s well worth the 10 dollars. I get ipsy and boxycharm as well, and out of the 3, my favorites are the sephora box and boxycharm. If you have ipsy, and are okay with it, this is a much better deal in my opinion.

I’m so glad you posted about this! I just searched my inbox and found my invitation. I signed up because ANYTHING has to be better than IPSY. I’ve used more products from the Walmart beauty subscription than I have from any Glam Bag.

By the way, has anyone else had trouble cancelling their IPSY subscription? I’ve tried to, went through all the steps… then another bag arrived yesterday. I think I’m just going to have to cancel my credit card and get a new one.

I’ve been a loyal Sephora Rouge VIB for long. And I even like their newsletter. There are many good things Sephora has done in marketing and talking to the customers. For that, I want to put in good faith with the Beauty Box. I have a good feeling that they’ll have better access and channels in getting nicer deluxe samples from designer & niche brands.

Taking a look at this box, it’s like half skincare. And I don’t care about perfume samples, so I guess I’ll give it a pass. I’m a bit minimal on my skincare, and even then, half of that is Korean brands.

It looks like it could be a bit more promising than ipsy. They’d insist on sending me haircare products I’d never use, and from what I saw of comments online, they were sending people who said they didn’t want nail polish said nail polish while leaving it out of my box. If everyone gets the same box, at least there isn’t that oddness.

The only subscription box I do is graze. They send me cute little snacks, and if I hate something, I just blacklist it and I never see it again. I can “love” something and get it more often. I occasionally pick up a mini monthly pack from Rainbow Honey. They do nail polish, and their boxes are mostly nail stuff, with a little of their soap/lip balm/scent stuff in the mix. Though, I think recently, you now have the option to just get the type of product you want.

I love sampling new products and have purchased quite a few Sephora Favorites sets (which are really just sample boxes). This is such a better option for me. For $10, I get to explore new products and satisfy my subscription box cravings.

I just signed up for Borchbox last month. My April box is still not here. My samples are shown to include 3 foil packets, a Made in China lip crayon, and overall, just a $10 waste. Never tried Ipsy because they have too much Made in China junk. I would much rather spend $10 on trying reputable brands so Play is the best option for me.

I received my invite email this morning from the Waiting list and signed up. I’ve never subscribed to a beauty box before because, being a control freak, I like to know what products I’m buying! But with the cost being so low, I figured I’d give Play a try. (I do have an annual subscription to Rachel Zoe’s Box of Style though and it typically contains a few beauty products – Spring had full sizes of a Jouer eye crayon, Klorane dry shampoo, and a package of blotting sheets.) I looked at the boxes online since September and there was always 1 or 2 items I would use or wanted to try. I’m giving it 3 months and then I’ll decide if it’s worth keeping.

Well my first Play box shipped today and I already called to cancel my subscription! With the shipping notification there was a link to the 6 products. I have/had all 6 of them. The Briogeo hair mask flattens my fine hair (gave away), the Korres sleeping facial caused me to break out (gave away), the cologne is not my taste (gave sample away), the Tarte lip crayon is meh – can’t see shade on me (gave away), the Origins product causes breakouts for me (gave away), and the Bite Lipstick I have the full size and don’t need a deluxe of the same shade (will give away). Not to mention instead of my Flash shipping they shipped some bizarre Mail Innovations that is akin to walking the delivery to my house (ironically another Sephora order of mine shipped and is already here). I’m disappointed as I was hoping the box would allow me to try some new products and not a bunch of products that have been around for a while. Maybe the subscrip0tion is better for people that don’t buy as often as I do… 🙁

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